Curated OER
Why the Y2Y?
Students investigate the proposed route from Yellowstone to Yukon. They listen to lectures about the proposal and the different opinions concerning it. Students research the type of wildlife in the area for the road and they consider how...
Curated OER
Build a Journal
Students prepare for field journaling at Yosemite Institute. They create and decorate their Institute journal giving them both a place to journal and ownership of it.
Curated OER
Whose Water Is It?
Students role-play as San Francisco residents in 1908 who support or oppose the building of a dam in Yosemite National Park. They create posters and write letters to representatives defending their positions.
Curated OER
Properties of the Ocean: Measurement
Students simulate the development of an underwater amusement park after reading background on Coral Reef State Park. They decide which factors they would need to consider such as the ocean floor, currents, wave patterns and water...
Curated OER
Observation Hike
Students participate in an observational hike to study the natural surroundings. In this observational hike instructional activity, students hike through a state park and observe the plant and animal life. Students learn about...
Curated OER
The Debate Over North Shore Road
Pupils examine the impact of the North Shore Road Project in North Carolina. For this environmental science lesson, students share their views regarding this environmental issue. They compare and contrast the map of the Great Smoky...
Curated OER
The Sonoran Desert
Little learners examine a map of the southwestern United States and identify the Sonoran Desert. They locate different cities and rivers, determining whether or not each is found within this special ecosystem. A student handout is...
Global Oneness Project
Protecting Wilderness
Would you live in a tree for three years to protect a redwood forest? Viewers of Rainhouse Cinema's Among Giants documentary consider the actions of Earth First! environmental activists who moved into the treetops of a grove of giant...
Sea World
Whales
A whale of a lesson is sure to intrigue your elementary oceanographers! Learn about the mammals of the sea with a series of activities about whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Kids complete worksheets about the anatomy of a whale, create a...
Curated OER
How Does Preserving Wilderness Enhance Forestry
Young scholars identify events of the environmental movement in the United States. For this environment lesson students study Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, who had a great impact on the environmental movement.
Curated OER
No Magic Borders: Haleakala Style
Students discuss borders and boundaries. They discuss pollution and the fact that boundaries cannot stop pollution and that pollution affects even protected wildlife and plants. They participate in an activity in which they must place...
Curated OER
Get to Know: Plants
Students complete a research activity in a schoolyard or park to learn about plants. In this plant lesson, students learn the name of the one of more plants. Students describe or draw the plant, pointing our features that distinguish the...
Curated OER
Bake, Boil, or Fry
Students write a journal entry about where there food comes from. In this Civil War lesson, students discuss journals, the crops grown within the U.S., the import/export process and what food preparation must have been like on a...
Curated OER
Ansley Wilcox House
Students complete activities that go along with the study of and possible fieldtrip to the Ansley Wilcox House (T. Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site) in Buffalo, NY. They trace the background of a historical building in their...
Curated OER
How Acid Rain is Measured and Monitored in the U.S.
Explain how acid rain is measured. They discover how acid rain is monitored in the United States. They compare locally measured pH or rain with that of Great Smoky mountains. They perform Ph tests on rainfall they collect.
Curated OER
Leach Out and Touch Someone
Students discuss how groundwater becomes polluted. In groups, they design and create models of groundwater pollution sources. They demonstrate to the class how the water may become contaminated from local and nonlocal pollution sources.
Curated OER
Out of the City and Into the Soup
Students examine the issue of air pollution. They read and analyze an article, evaluate the responses of state and federal officials to the problem, conduct Internet research, and write a letter to their senator and congressman.
Curated OER
the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability And Change
Learners analyze the consequences of changing variables on a system. Changes in a model are measured and recorded and conclusions drawn based on the data provided in this six lessons unit.
Curated OER
Gridding a Site
Students make observations of effigy mounds and record them in a notebook. In groups, they must determine the scale of measurement and create their own grid to scale part of the Effigy Mounds National Monument. They also practice using...
Curated OER
Rock On!
After five class sessions, young scientists will be able to identify common rock types: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. This plan involves hands-on activities, includes various handouts and worksheets, and requires there to be...
Curated OER
Air Pollution Word Search Activity
Young scholars examine the issues surrounding air pollution. They discover how it affects peoples health and the government's regulations. They complete a word search activity to practice the vocabulary.
Curated OER
Air Terms: The Flash Card Game
Fifth graders define vocabulary words regarding air quality. In small groups, they match magazine pictures or create illustrations for definitions and terms, and share the flash cards with their group.
Curated OER
Going Green
Students create an action plan to learn how to preserve natural resources for future generations. For this environmental conservation lesson, students research the topic of preserving the natural environment and write a definition for...
Stanford University
Solstice and Equinox Season Model
How can December 21 be the shortest day of the year when all days are 24 hours long? Pupils see how to build a model showing the differences between winter and summer solstices and equinoxes. Using this model, classes can then discuss...